lifestyle blog

April 4, 2018May 16, 2018

5 things to keep in mind when creating a career escape plan

Work-life balance.

What the heck does that even mean?

First of all it’s a feeling, not a measurement. It’s not counting the hours spent working verses life-ing; it’s that feeling of accomplishment that you spent your energy where you felt it was necessary at that time. Secondly, it’s always changing. Meaning the second you have it all figured out *bam* life happens.

So what’s the point?

Because you are worth it. Your happiness and satisfaction in life shouldn’t be limited to the time spent on vacation or over the weekend. Take the time to play with ideas that surface. Take the time to explore new work opportunities rather than chasing a pay check. Be smart and create an escape plan.

Why create an escape plan?

It is possible to lead a life you want to live most of the time. Free and fulfilling. Money is not an issue, but rather an illusion. The issue is breaking away from these chains and start living the life you imagine.

Start with small, calculated steps.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind when creating a career escape plan.

Do your homework.

Ask yourself: What do I want?

Before you can create a plan, you need to know what you want.

You won’t find the right answer immediately nor will it be clear as day, so keep asking until it appears. Try meditation – it’s a great practice to unlock your true potential. Meditation can be challenging, but there are so many tools out there to help! Use Headspace. This helps to create the foundation and patience required to practice unguided meditation on your own.

What do you want?

This could be financial freedom, spiritual freedom or creative freedom. What is success? Well, the definition of success changes in every personal season of growth – career development, self discovery, growing family, ongoing self-appreciation, etc. Take the time to reflect and remember to enjoy the journey.

Surround yourself with like-minded people.

Ask yourself: What are my beliefs?

Our beliefs contribute to who we are as an individual. The beauty of this is no two people are the same. This gives us the opportunity to listen, learn and share with one another. Be open to hearing another side. Eventually, you will feel so passionate about your perspective and feel compelled to respectfully share your side. Confidence.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. Continue bouncing ideas off each other and grow with them. Eventually you will get to the point of empowerment and courage. But more importantly, the goal is to develop your plan along the way. Put it to action, don’t just daydream about it.

Dare to project manage your own life.

Be brave.

After asking the right questions and feeling confident with the answers – be brave and make your next move! Don’t wait too long. That feeling will easily disappear if it’s not acted on. Bravery is not always a bold statement. Being brave can be as simple as creating a vision board. Small and steady steps. How long it takes you is not important, but rather feel good that you are trying and working towards your goal.

Know your plan. Know your worth. Take action.

Be smart.

We all are at different phases in our lives. Some have more financial freedom than others. Take the time to map things out. If your “escape plan” entails an abrupt stop in cash flow – plan to save money before leaving your financial safety net. Be warned: this dance can get tricky. Be sure to keep your mindset in check while doing your day job. It’s easy to check out when one foot is out the door. Show up each day until you’ve met your financial milestone.

Self-awareness is key!

Quick tip: Successful financial blogger Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s has great tricks on how build a financially free life on her blog Making Sense of Cents. Check out her tips on how to save money fast here.

On the other hand, even though you may be financially secure doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. You too still need to plan on how to keep your momentum up – plan on how to stay motivated.

Be honest.

Going back to – what do you want? Financially security. Creativefreedom. Involvement in a community. Think about it and be honest. Is it money? People are motivated by money or of the idea of financial freedom. Are you staying because it’s comfortable – what’s at stake? Your valuable time! Time cannot be replaced and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Plan enough, so you can get out of your own way and start doing what you enjoy. The money will follow when you lead with your purpose.

Listen – you don’t need to become an entrepreneur to be happy. Have you really tried to paint that picture and reflected on what a year of being a business owner would look like? Take a second now. I’ll wait.

Done? What did you say…?

Heck, yeah it’s a lot of work! When you’re a business owner – it. never. stops.

So when self reflecting and it turns out you’re not ready, or don’t want to take that path – be accepting to it because it’s not a bad thing. But! That does not mean settling is the only option. What type of work do you want to do? What type of environment?

Take the time and think about it.

Have you made the leap? Let me know about your journey in the comments below.

I hope you enjoyed this topic and keep any eye out for my next post. I’ll be sharing a specific example of own personal journey.